13 hidden attractions in London that even locals might not know exist

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandirmahattan research
London is full of attractions that even the most absent-minded French tourist could reel off while four drinks into their first experience of Wetherspoons.

But the two-millennia-old city has much more to offer than Big Ben, the London Eye, and Trafalgar Square. London's streets are laced with underground speakeasies, rooftop gardens, historical relics, and oddly innovative forms of public transport.

We've collected 13 of the least conventional attractions to fill a spare couple of hours in London, whether you are a student, tourist, or long-term resident.

Get blinded by the lights at the Traffic Light Tree by Billingsgate Market.

French artist Pierre Vivant created the Traffic Light Tree, an eight-foot-tall structure with 75 sets of lights, in 1998. The sculpture was originally installed at the roundabout in Westferry, before the site was reconfigured. After a spell away from public view, the spectacular mutation was placed outside Billingsgate Market, near Canary Wharf, according to local media reports.

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Or why don't you check out Europe's first traditional Hindu temple?

If the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir looks like a postcard from India, that's probably because the traditional Hindu temple was hand-carved there before being transported piece-by-piece to London, where it was assembled. Located in Neasden, northwest London, the temple is used as a place of daily worship, but it's very welcome to visitors and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. — 6 p.m.

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Why pack into the uncomfortable, sweaty Tube when you can ride the Oyster River Bus down The Thames?

Another unconventional way to travel between tourist sites is the Oyster River Bus, which allows you to travel by catamaran on The Thames using the same travelcard (or contactless payment) that you use on buses and underground trains. Between Putney and Woolwich, 20 piers make up five river bus routes across the capital.

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Get a sense of history underground at the Clapham air raid shelter.

In December, Transport for London announced it was opening up the air raid shelter under Clapham South's tube station. It was used during the Blitz in the Second World War and later became home to West Indian immigrants and briefly a youth shelter, according to Time Out.

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Or check out one of London's now-defunct tube stations.

Yui Mok / PA Wire/Press Association Images

It's not just Clapham's air raid shelter that has opened up. Tours across many of London's abandoned tube stations, including what became Churchill's war bunker, are running until March 2017. Visitors are given hard hats and torches for some tours, like the one being operated through the poorly lit tunnels under Down Street station (between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner).

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Pretend you are in a rainforest in the Barbican Conservatory.

Amid the corporate towers of the City of London, the Barbican Centre is something of a cultural oasis. Inside, there are art exhibitions, cinemas, theatres, and cafes, but hidden away from the crowds is the Barbican Conservatory. Boasting more than 2,000 species of tropical plants, trees, and fish, the glass house is the second biggest conservatory in London, according to its website. It has even started offering afternoon tea, if all that humidity has left you needing refreshment.

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Step into the life of an 18th century Huguenot silk weaver.

At number 18 Folgate Street in Spitafields, you can find Dennis Severs' House. Severs, a history enthusiast and artist, restored each room in his home to be exactly how it would have been at different points in the 18th and 19th centuries. The historical imagination has been termed a "still life drama," for each room is kept as though its occupants have just left, with half-eaten food, smells, and background noise.

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Ride on a cable car across the River Thames.

Getty / WPA Pool

Greenwich's Emirates Air Line was set up in 2012 by the former London mayor Boris Johnson. The cable car was originally intended for people going to work, but the BBC reported in 2013 that there were just four regular commuters. Though it has been slammed by critics as typical of Johnson's "weakness for whimsical projects," the Emirates Air Line offers high novelty value at a low price of just £4.50.

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Visit a Texas landmark outside the former Republic's ex-embassy.

Between 1842 and 1845, the rooms above a wine shop on 4 St. James' Street in the City of Westminster was the Embassy of the Republic of Texas, according to Atlas Obscura. Before it joined the union, Texas was a sovereign nation of its own. All that remains is the wine shop and a plaque that reads: "Texas Legation in this building was the legation for the ministers from the Republic of Texas to the Court of St. James 1842 - 1845."

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Take a break from the busy high street at Kensington Roof Gardens.

Hidden on the rooftops above Kensington High Street, The Roof Gardens— which comprises one and a half acres of garden — was conceived by businessman Trevor Bowen, who created the outside space between 1936 and 1938. Entry is free to the roof gardens, but if you are looking for more exclusivity try befriending a member of the Roof Gardens private club.

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On Bond Street you can find the "Allies" statue, featuring good pals Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The relaxed statue of the two great war time leaders was unveiled in 1995 to mark 50 years of relative peace since the defeat of Nazi Germany. The monument leaves a comfortable spot between FDR and Churchill, leaving room for many tourists to pose.

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You can play crazy golf amongst the birds on a rooftop in Stratford.

Birdies Crazy Golf is a cocktail-pouring, nine-hole mini-golf course for over-18s based on top of a roof in Stratford. The location is new for summer 2016, but the course had a spell under Waterloo's tunnels over the winter months, according to Londonist.

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Try out one of London's many underground speakeasy bars.

One of the best examples of a London speakeasy is The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town. To access the bizarrely named tavern, head to The Breakfast Club in Spitalfields. Inside the popular brunch spot, you will spot a Smeg fridge, which you must walk through to reach the dimly lit cocktail bar, where there are a range of cocktails costing upwards of £9 and a range of sharing platters.